Builder/damp specialist, quote visit - unsolicited invoice
Discussion
Afternoon.
I have done a search and cant find anything similar. Wondering where I stand legally, if not morally.
We had some damp floor joist in the corner of a downstairs room. Had a builder/damp specialist come out in Nov 2023 to quote.
Life got in the way and we didn't get the work done.
Fast forward to Jan 2025, we realise we should get it attended to.
Email the company and ask for the quote to be refreshed so we can get it booked in.
The company email back suggesting the builder comes back out to look again, not problem, the floor wont have got any better.
Builder comes out, similar conversation to 2 years previous and off he goes.
Email quotation comes through with an invoice for £30+VAT
At first I thought the invoice was for the next stage in the investigation, getting someone in the crawl space for a proper look. As up to now, they had only looked at images I had taken down there.
I queried the invoice with the company and the answer was "We now charge for all inspections and reports carried out and £36 including vat is our minimum charge"
There had been no mention of it being a chargeable visit, not even as a tiny writing email footer.
I fully appreciate that time is money and I am paying for someone's experience, but at the very least, they should have told me it was a chargeable visit?
TIA
I have done a search and cant find anything similar. Wondering where I stand legally, if not morally.
We had some damp floor joist in the corner of a downstairs room. Had a builder/damp specialist come out in Nov 2023 to quote.
Life got in the way and we didn't get the work done.
Fast forward to Jan 2025, we realise we should get it attended to.
Email the company and ask for the quote to be refreshed so we can get it booked in.
The company email back suggesting the builder comes back out to look again, not problem, the floor wont have got any better.
Builder comes out, similar conversation to 2 years previous and off he goes.
Email quotation comes through with an invoice for £30+VAT
At first I thought the invoice was for the next stage in the investigation, getting someone in the crawl space for a proper look. As up to now, they had only looked at images I had taken down there.
I queried the invoice with the company and the answer was "We now charge for all inspections and reports carried out and £36 including vat is our minimum charge"
There had been no mention of it being a chargeable visit, not even as a tiny writing email footer.
I fully appreciate that time is money and I am paying for someone's experience, but at the very least, they should have told me it was a chargeable visit?
TIA
Wacky Racer said:
Not a fortune in the grand scheme of things, suck it up and move on.
They have incurred time and expense visiting you.
If they didn't mention on the phone or in their email that the visit was chargeable, I'd say that it is a bit of sharp practice. I take a dim view of any company that tries to hide their charging structure.They have incurred time and expense visiting you.
If you are reasonably handy, you may be able to do it yourself, depending how bad it is.
I replaced six rotten floor joists in one of my shops, treated them with Cuprinol and wrapped green mineral felt round them and fitted new floorboards.
Put some extra ventilation in, still like new after thirty years.
I replaced six rotten floor joists in one of my shops, treated them with Cuprinol and wrapped green mineral felt round them and fitted new floorboards.
Put some extra ventilation in, still like new after thirty years.
Notwen said:
There had been no mention of it being a chargeable visit, not even as a tiny writing email footer.
I fully appreciate that time is money and I am paying for someone's experience, but at the very least, they should have told me it was a chargeable visit?
TIA
I agree. I'd write back apologising and explaining you weren't told that there was a call-out charge.I fully appreciate that time is money and I am paying for someone's experience, but at the very least, they should have told me it was a chargeable visit?
TIA
Wacky Racer said:
If you are reasonably handy, you may be able to do it yourself, depending how bad it is.
I replaced six rotten floor joists in one of my shops, treated them with Cuprinol and wrapped green mineral felt round them and fitted new floorboards.
Put some extra ventilation in, still like new after thirty years.
I do consider myself quite handy, I just don't have time on my side, we are looking at moving this year and getting someone else to do it, appears to be the lesser of 2 evils.I replaced six rotten floor joists in one of my shops, treated them with Cuprinol and wrapped green mineral felt round them and fitted new floorboards.
Put some extra ventilation in, still like new after thirty years.
Your first post about suck it up and move on, that was my gut feeling, pay the invoice, avoid the myther. However I wont give them the work as If that is their practice, they are not a company I wish to work with.
Its a double edged sword as the builder will think "glad I charged him, otherwise it was a wasted visit (or two)". Though I do plan to tell them why I wont be engaging them, not that it will make a difference to either of our lives.
When challenged about it, they did offer to discount the value off the completed work. I think we all know that my bill would have bumped up by at least that amount to cover the "good will gesture"
I've paid the invoice and made them aware that I took a dim view of the poor communication.
We all move on with our lives.
I've paid the invoice and made them aware that I took a dim view of the poor communication.
We all move on with our lives.
Notwen said:
When challenged about it, they did offer to discount the value off the completed work. I think we all know that my bill would have bumped up by at least that amount to cover the "good will gesture"
I've paid the invoice and made them aware that I took a dim view of the poor communication.
We all move on with our lives.
An odd situation. If they'd have increased the estimate by that amount without trying for the £36 first you'd be none the wiser and they'd have the job. (Even if you turned down their quote they could have invoiced you £36 at that stage.)I've paid the invoice and made them aware that I took a dim view of the poor communication.
We all move on with our lives.
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